By JIM ZBICK
Heading into the new year, Tamaqua Courier readers knew that times were tough for many families in the region.
That was evident in the tone of the children's letters to Santa Claus which the newspaper had received for Christmas. Instead of toys, many children were asking for family necessities, such as food and clothing.
Just how desperate conditions were again surfaced in mid-January when a Tamaqua mother, with no means of support, offered her baby up for sale.